Adi Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Adi Schwartz is an Israeli journalist and academic. A former staff writer for Haaretz
, he currently works as a freelance journalist for Israeli and international newspapers and magazines. His primary fields of interest include the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli and Jewish current affairs.
, Schwartz took a position with Haaretz in 1999. His career with Haaretz, with whom he remained as "a staff writer and a senior editor" until 2009, took him across the world, with assignments in "Brussels, London, Rome and Latin America". He has written freelance for other media and serves as the Israeli correspondent for British magazine Monocle
. He also maintains a blog in which he posts already published articles and publicizes new articles.
Schwartz is employed by Sapir College as a journalism teacher and speaks publicly as a guest lecturer and commentator in his field.
's book about the blood libel of Trento.
, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party, following the increase of attacks of antisemite nature in Belgium
(this article was cited in Bat Ye'or
's book Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis).
Schwartz later interviewed Filip Dewinter
, a leading member of Vlaams Belang. During the interview Dewinter went a great length to prove he is not connected to antisemitism, and revealed that his father was taken to forced labor in Germany and that his grandfather was a member of the Dutch Resistance
.
Schwartz also interviewed Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
. Verhofstadt stated that attacking Jews "because they are Jews", or saying that "the Jewish state cannot exist" are all forms of antisemitizm.
, about Mimi Reinhard, Oskar Schindler
's secretary, about Katrin Himmler
's book "The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History", and various other aspects of the Holocaust.
and his role in the Holocaust. Schwartz criticized Pius who haven't exercised his influence in regions with large concentrations of Catholics, like Croatia
, Slovakia
and Hungary
, to rescue Jews.
Schwartz also wrote about Israeli minister Isaac Herzog opposition to the beatification
of Pope Pius XII,
and the Vatican
officials furious reaction over Herzog's comments.
about his misgivings regarding the incident.
Schwartz wrote a follow up about the incident in which he discussed the ballistic report by Jean-Claude Schlinger.
and by Norwegian intellectual Jostein Gaarder
as denouncing Israel's right to exist. Schwartz characterized Gaarder's article as layered with "harsh religious, eschatological and apocalyptic elements, which resembled a messianic prophecy" (see Tony Judt's views about Israel and Jostein Gaarder controversy).
interpretation of the role of religion in the Holocaust. Pope Benedict have said: "In the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology born of neo-paganism gave rise to the attempt to exterminate European Jewry" and "The holiness of God was no longer recognized, and consequently contempt was shown for the sacredness of human life". Schwartz argued that the Pope's interpretation of Holocaust history is "more troubling and less exact". Schwartz claimed that:
In response to the historical claim made by Pope Benedict, Schwartz stated that:
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
, he currently works as a freelance journalist for Israeli and international newspapers and magazines. His primary fields of interest include the Arab-Israeli conflict and Israeli and Jewish current affairs.
Career
After reading Western History at Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
, Schwartz took a position with Haaretz in 1999. His career with Haaretz, with whom he remained as "a staff writer and a senior editor" until 2009, took him across the world, with assignments in "Brussels, London, Rome and Latin America". He has written freelance for other media and serves as the Israeli correspondent for British magazine Monocle
Monocle (2007 magazine)
Monocle is a lifestyle magazine and website founded by Tyler Brûlé, a Canadian journalist and entrepreneur. Described by CBC News reporter Harry Forestell as a "meeting between Foreign Policy and Vanity Fair", the magazine provides a globalist perspective on issues as fashion, international...
. He also maintains a blog in which he posts already published articles and publicizes new articles.
Schwartz is employed by Sapir College as a journalism teacher and speaks publicly as a guest lecturer and commentator in his field.
Antisemitism
Schwartz has written about various aspects of antisemitism. Schwartz has published several articles about the controversy surrounding Ariel ToaffAriel Toaff
Ariel Toaff is a professor of Medieval and Renaissance History at Bar Ilan University. He is the son of Elio Toaff, former Chief Rabbi of Rome....
's book about the blood libel of Trento.
Belgian politicians and antisemitism
Schwartz wrote a reportage about Antwerp's Jewish community increasing support of Vlaams BelangVlaams Belang
Vlaams Belang is a Belgian far-right political party in the Flemish Region and Brussels that advocates the independence of Flanders and strict limits on immigration, whereby immigrants would be obliged to adopt Flemish culture and language...
, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party, following the increase of attacks of antisemite nature in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(this article was cited in Bat Ye'or
Bat Ye'or
Bat Ye'or is a pseudonym of Gisèle Littman, née Orebi, an Egyptian-born British writer and political commentator who writes about the history of non-Muslims in the Middle East, and in particular the history of Christian and Jewish dhimmis living under Islamic governments.She is the author of eight...
's book Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis).
Schwartz later interviewed Filip Dewinter
Filip Dewinter
Philip Michel Frans "Filip" Dewinter is a Flemish politician in Belgium. He is one of the leading members of Vlaams Belang, a right-wing Flemish nationalist and secessionist political party...
, a leading member of Vlaams Belang. During the interview Dewinter went a great length to prove he is not connected to antisemitism, and revealed that his father was taken to forced labor in Germany and that his grandfather was a member of the Dutch Resistance
Dutch resistance
Dutch resistance to the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized by its prominent non-violence, summitting in over 300,000 people in hiding in the autumn of 1944, tended to by some 60,000 to 200,000 illegal landlords and caretakers and tolerated knowingly...
.
Schwartz also interviewed Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
. Verhofstadt stated that attacking Jews "because they are Jews", or saying that "the Jewish state cannot exist" are all forms of antisemitizm.
Holocaust
Schwartz wrote about the role of the Belgian authorities in the persecution and deportation of the Jews during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, about Mimi Reinhard, Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler
Oskar Schindler was an ethnic German industrialist born in Moravia. He is credited with saving over 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories, which were located in what is now Poland and the Czech Republic respectively.He is the subject of the...
's secretary, about Katrin Himmler
Katrin Himmler
Katrin Himmler is a German author. She is the granddaughter of Ernst Himmler, who was the younger brother of Heinrich Himmler, one of the leading figures of Nazi Germany and principal architect of The Holocaust...
's book "The Himmler Brothers: A German Family History", and various other aspects of the Holocaust.
Pope Pius XIII
Schwartz published a series of articles about Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
and his role in the Holocaust. Schwartz criticized Pius who haven't exercised his influence in regions with large concentrations of Catholics, like Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, to rescue Jews.
Schwartz also wrote about Israeli minister Isaac Herzog opposition to the beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of Pope Pius XII,
and the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
officials furious reaction over Herzog's comments.
Muhammad al-Durrah
Schwartz has published several articles about the Muhammad al-Durrah incident for Haaretz. Schwartz was the first Israeli journalist to conduct a thorough interview with Philippe KarsentyPhilippe Karsenty
Philippe Karsenty is a French media analyst and the founder of Media-Ratings, which monitors the media in France for bias....
about his misgivings regarding the incident.
Schwartz wrote a follow up about the incident in which he discussed the ballistic report by Jean-Claude Schlinger.
Israel's right to exist
Schwartz criticizes in his articles those who object to Israel's right to exist. Schwartz claimed that "the discussion of Israel's right to exist is no longer just the realm of Arab parties in conflict with Israel, and has become part of the European and American discourse". Schwartz pointed out articles written by American-Jewish historian Tony JudtTony Judt
Tony Robert Judt FBA was a British historian, essayist, and university professor who specialized in European history. Judt moved to New York and served as the Erich Maria Remarque Professor in European Studies at New York University, and Director of NYU's Erich Maria Remarque Institute...
and by Norwegian intellectual Jostein Gaarder
Jostein Gaarder
Jostein Gaarder /ˈju:staɪn ˈgɔːrdər/ is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books. Gaarder often writes from the perspective of children, exploring their sense of wonder about the world. He often uses metafiction in his works, writing stories within...
as denouncing Israel's right to exist. Schwartz characterized Gaarder's article as layered with "harsh religious, eschatological and apocalyptic elements, which resembled a messianic prophecy" (see Tony Judt's views about Israel and Jostein Gaarder controversy).
Religion and the Holocaust
Schwartz highly criticized Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
interpretation of the role of religion in the Holocaust. Pope Benedict have said: "In the darkest period of German and European history, an insane racist ideology born of neo-paganism gave rise to the attempt to exterminate European Jewry" and "The holiness of God was no longer recognized, and consequently contempt was shown for the sacredness of human life". Schwartz argued that the Pope's interpretation of Holocaust history is "more troubling and less exact". Schwartz claimed that:
This interpretation is very convenient for the Church, of course. It distinguishes between what he calls a secular, pagan, "insane" Europe, which does not recognize the holiness of God, and a religious, sane, peace-mongering Europe. As far as Ratzinger is concerned, the Holocaust took place because of non-recognition of the Christian faith.
In response to the historical claim made by Pope Benedict, Schwartz stated that:
The Holocaust took place on Christian soil, including Catholic Bavaria, where Ratzinger was born. It was made possible, at the very least, by the collaboration of Poles, Hungarians, Austrians, French and Belgians – all of them members of the Catholic community. This collaboration was achieved in part due to the heritage of anti-Semitism that was the legacy of the Church, the same Church that massacred Jews during the Crusades and established the first ghettoes.
External links
- "Adi Schwartz' blog"
- A collection of links to Schwartz' articles on Haaretz, Palestine: Information with Provenance (PIWP database), department of Computer Science, University College Cork.
- Adi Schwartz 'A Tragedy Shrouded in Silence: The Destruction of the Arab World's Jewry' in AzureAzure (journal)Azure: Ideas for the Jewish Nation is a quarterly journal published by the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Azure publishes new writing on issues relating to Jewish thought and identity, Zionism, and the State of Israel. It is published in both Hebrew and English, allowing for the exchange of...
45 (Summer 2011).